Chronic eluder arrested for second time in three weeks
Man hospitalized after chase
A Spokane man arrested at gunpoint after a police chase three weeks ago was picked up again Tuesday morning after another chase with law enforcement.
A profusely sweaty Michael S. Wheeler, 38, was taken to a hospital after he told a sheriff’s deputy he had eaten an unknown amount of cocaine when he was arrested near Argonne and Bruce roads, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
When Deputy Ryan Truman first contacted Wheeler, he saw him and his passenger “frantically” moving and reaching under the front seats as the officer approached the parked Jeep Cherokee just north of Hastings Road at about 4:30 a.m.
Dispatch reported the car was stolen, and Truman ordered an already “very agitated” Wheeler and passenger Jamie Burdeau, 22, out of the vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.
Wheeler instead put the SUV in reverse and struck a shed, fence and a “junk car” as he fled, officials said. Truman and other deputies found the Jeep abandoned in the area of Third Avenue and Railroad Street in Mead. Burdeau was spotted walking near the vehicle. Patrol officers found Wheeler at Argonne and Bruce roads, where he was arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and felony eluding. Burdeau was arrested on a charge of possession of a stolen vehicle.
Wheeler also faces a third-degree assault charge for allegedly striking a security guard at Holy Family Hospital while running from sheriff’s deputies. According to court records, Wheeler ran from officers after saying, “Have you ever been to jail? It sucks.” Wheeler was shocked with a Taser as he struggled to get away from the deputies.
Wheeler was arrested May 3 after a high-speed chase with a state wildlife officer in a stolen car while high on methamphetamine, according to court documents. He was released from jail when prosecutors didn’t file charges within three days.
Wheeler also was wanted by Crime Stoppers when he rammed a sheriff’s patrol car in December 2010 while successfully eluding a deputy.